VERKLARING KENNISNEMING REGELS M.B.T. PLAGIAAT

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1 1 Faculteit Geesteswetenschappen Versie september 2014 VERKLARING KENNISNEMING REGELS M.B.T. PLAGIAAT Fraude en plagiaat Wetenschappelijke integriteit vormt de basis van het academisch bedrijf. De Universiteit Utrecht vat iedere vorm van wetenschappelijke misleiding daarom op als een zeer ernstig vergrijp. De Universiteit Utrecht verwacht dat elke student de normen en waarden inzake wetenschappelijke integriteit kent en in acht neemt. De belangrijkste vormen van misleiding die deze integriteit aantasten zijn fraude en plagiaat. Plagiaat is het overnemen van andermans werk zonder behoorlijke verwijzing en is een vorm van fraude. Hieronder volgt nadere uitleg wat er onder fraude en plagiaat wordt verstaan en een aantal concrete voorbeelden daarvan. Let wel: dit is geen uitputtende lijst! Bij constatering van fraude of plagiaat kan de examencommissie van de opleiding sancties opleggen. De sterkste sanctie die de examencommissie kan opleggen is het indienen van een verzoek aan het College van Bestuur om een student van de opleiding te laten verwijderen. Plagiaat Plagiaat is het overnemen van stukken, gedachten, redeneringen van anderen en deze laten doorgaan voor eigen werk. Je moet altijd nauwkeurig aangeven aan wie ideeën en inzichten zijn ontleend, en voortdurend bedacht zijn op het verschil tussen citeren, parafraseren en plagiëren. Niet alleen bij het gebruik van gedrukte bronnen, maar zeker ook bij het gebruik van informatie die van het internet wordt gehaald, dien je zorgvuldig te werk te gaan bij het vermelden van de informatiebronnen. De volgende zaken worden in elk geval als plagiaat aangemerkt: het knippen en plakken van tekst van digitale bronnen zoals encyclopedieën of digitale tijdschriften zonder aanhalingstekens en verwijzing; het knippen en plakken van teksten van het internet zonder aanhalingstekens en verwijzing; het overnemen van gedrukt materiaal zoals boeken, tijdschriften of encyclopedieën zonder aanhalingstekens en verwijzing; het opnemen van een vertaling van bovengenoemde teksten zonder aanhalingstekens en verwijzing; het parafraseren van bovengenoemde teksten zonder (deugdelijke) verwijzing: parafrasen moeten als zodanig gemarkeerd zijn (door de tekst uitdrukkelijk te verbinden met de oorspronkelijke auteur in tekst of noot), zodat niet de indruk wordt gewekt dat het gaat om eigen gedachtengoed van de student; het overnemen van beeld-, geluids- of testmateriaal van anderen zonder verwijzing en zodoende laten doorgaan voor eigen werk; het zonder bronvermelding opnieuw inleveren van eerder door de student gemaakt eigen werk en dit laten doorgaan voor in het kader van de cursus vervaardigd oorspronkelijk werk, tenzij dit in de cursus of door de docent uitdrukkelijk is toegestaan; het overnemen van werk van andere studenten en dit laten doorgaan voor eigen werk. Indien dit gebeurt met toestemming van de andere student is de laatste medeplichtig aan plagiaat; ook wanneer in een gezamenlijk werkstuk door een van de auteurs plagiaat wordt gepleegd, zijn de andere auteurs medeplichtig aan plagiaat, indien zij hadden kunnen of moeten weten dat de ander plagiaat pleegde; het indienen van werkstukken die verworven zijn van een commerciële instelling (zoals een internetsite met uittreksels of papers) of die al dan niet tegen betaling door iemand anders zijn geschreven. De plagiaatregels gelden ook voor concepten van papers of (hoofdstukken van) scripties die voor feedback aan een docent worden toegezonden, voorzover de mogelijkheid voor het insturen van concepten en het krijgen van feedback in de cursushandleiding of scriptieregeling is vermeld.

2 2 In de Onderwijs- en Examenregeling (artikel 5.15) is vastgelegd wat de formele gang van zaken is als er een vermoeden van fraude/plagiaat is, en welke sancties er opgelegd kunnen worden. Onwetendheid is geen excuus. Je bent verantwoordelijk voor je eigen gedrag. De Universiteit Utrecht gaat ervan uit dat je weet wat fraude en plagiaat zijn. Van haar kant zorgt de Universiteit Utrecht ervoor dat je zo vroeg mogelijk in je opleiding de principes van wetenschapsbeoefening bijgebracht krijgt en op de hoogte wordt gebracht van wat de instelling als fraude en plagiaat beschouwt, zodat je weet aan welke normen je je moeten houden. Hierbij verklaar ik bovenstaande tekst gelezen en begrepen te hebben. Naam: Fleur Kronenberg Studentnummer: Datum en handtekening: Dit formulier lever je bij je begeleider in als je start met je bacheloreindwerkstuk of je master scriptie. Het niet indienen of ondertekenen van het formulier betekent overigens niet dat er geen sancties kunnen worden genomen als blijkt dat er sprake is van plagiaat in het werkstuk.

3 3 Lady Gwen and the Green Man A Modern Stage Adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight BA Thesis English Language and Culture, Utrecht University Fleur Kronenberg Supervisor: dr. Marcelle Cole 13 June 2015

4 4 Table of contents Introduction 3 Chapter 1: Medium and setting 6 Chapter 2: Characters 9 Chapter 3: Adapting the plot Challenge Exchange Seduction scenes Ending 18 Conclusion 19 Appendix I: summary of original 20 Appendix II: summary of adaptation 22 Appendix III: script of adaptation 24 Works Cited 85

5 5 Introduction The Arthurian legend has inspired many tales and poems ranging from the 12 th -century Historum Regum Brittania by Geoffrey of Monmouth to, Arthur, a modern-day Hollywood depiction of King Arthur and his knights. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14 th - century Middle English poem, and it is part of that legend. The poem survives in only one manuscript (London, British Library MS Cotton Nero A.x.) which also contains three religious poems Pearl, Patience, and Purity. It is generally held that all four poems were written by the same author, who has become known as the Pearl-poet or the Gawain-poet. His true identity remains a mystery to this day, however the dialect used in the poems locates them in a remote corner of the northwest midlands between Cheshire and Staffordshire, and the details of Sir Gawain s journey north show that the author was familiar with the geography of that region (Introduction to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 160). Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has been translated by many talented translators. I chose Simon Armitage s critically acclaimed translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as the basis for my adaptation, Lady Gwen and the Green Man. Besides the poem being translated often, it has also been adapted several times. However none of the adaptations have modernised the poem as much as was done for Lady Gwen and the Green Man. This modern approach was inspired by the BBC screen adaptation of Chaucer s Canterbury Tales in 2003 ( Canterbury Tales ). The first recorded adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was a stage adaptation in 1971 for children between 6 and 12 by Michael Bogdanov for the University Theatre in Newcastle. He performed this play with the National Theatre in 1977 as well in collaboration with Peter Stevens. Later stage adaptations include David Self s version from 1979, a musical from the Midsommer Actor s Company by Simon Corble in 1992 and 1995,

6 6 which was reworked by the o Reilly Theatre Oxford in 2014, and a one-act play by Linda Marie Zaerr in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has been adapted as an opera twice, in 1978 and in In 1978 it was part of Opera in six scenes, written by John Emlyn Edwards and composed by Richard Blackford. In 1991 the music was composed by Harisson Birtwistle for the Royal Opera House, London. The poem has been adapted for screen as well, both times by Stephen Weeks. In 1973 as Gawain and the Green Knight (1973) and in 1984 as Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1984). In 2001 Lisa N Elliot wrote a similar study to the present thesis, however she wrote a screenplay called The Pearl Poet in which the audience simultaneously follows Sir Gawain, the Pearl Poet and a student reading the poem for the first time in the 21 st century. In 2002 an animated TV Movie was created by Tim Fernee, Moving Still Productions and Vinegar Hill Productions for Channel4 Learning. This animation won a BAFTA in 2002 for the best Children s Animation. Furthermore, many documentaries have been made about the poem and its poet, including a documentary by Simon Armitage for the BBC in The present thesis offers a modern stage adaptation of Simon Armitage s critically acclaimed translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight named Lady Gwen and the Green Man. None of the existing adaptations have modernised the poem as heavily as was done with Lady Gwen and the Green Man, it was however inspired by the approach adopted in the BBC adaptation of Chaucher s Canterbury Tales. Through the modern adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight this thesis proves that the medieval values found in the 14 th century poem are still relevant today. This thesis relies on Linda Hutcheon s A Theory of Adaptation for its theoretical framework. Hutcheon s theory provides a guideline on What? (Forms), Who? Why?

7 7 (Adapters), How? (Audiences) and Where? When? (Contexts) of adaptations. Hutcheon s framework will be the guide to analyse and justify the choices that were made while adapting Sir Gawain and the Green Knight into Lady Gwen and the Green Man. Hutcheon s cross-media framework provides the needed background into adaptation theory as well as providing examples to demonstrate that adapting is central to story-telling. The aim of the adaptation was to be enjoyable for both the knowing audience and the unknowing audience (Hutcheon 121) and to deliver the same moral message to both audiences as the poem did in the 14 th century. This thesis is divided in three chapters. Each chapter will first cover an overview of the relevant parts of Hutcheon s framework and use her framework to compare the corresponding elements of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to Lady Gwen and the Green Man. The first chapter will focus on medium and setting which equates to Hutcheon s chapters What? (Forms) and Where? When? (Contexts). The second chapter will concentrate on the adaptation of the characters and Hutcheon s What? (Forms) and Who? Why? (Adapters) will provide the theoretical framework for this chapter. The third chapter will deal with the adaptation of the challenge, the exchange, the seduction scenes and the ending. The third chapter will rely on Hutcheon s How? (Audiences). A summary of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight can be found in Appendix I, a summary of Lady Gwen and the Green Man can be found in Appendix II and the script of Lady Gwen and the Green Man can be found in Appendix III.

8 8 Chapter 1 Medium and Setting Linda Hutcheon s A Theory of Adaptation describes medium and setting in the chapters What? (Forms) and Where? When? (Contexts). In her chapter What? (Forms) Hutcheon discusses how adaptations are similar to palimpsests: beneath the layer of the adaptation, the original is still visible (33). An adaptation is a work on its own, and can be enjoyed and understood without knowledge of the original. However, if the audience is familiar with the original they will pick up on the intertextuality the adaptation usually supplies. The medium of an adaptation is important for this, so Hutcheon poses the question [w]hat can one art form do that other cannot (35). This is an interesting question considering the change of medium from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to Lady Gwen and the Green Man, from a written poem to a stage performance. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the poet writes: So listen a little while to my tale if you will / and I ll tell it as it s told in the town where it trips from the tongue / and as it has been inked / in stories bold and strong / through letter which, once linked / have lasted loud and long (Armitage 6) Medieval poems were not only meant to be read, they were also meant to be recited (Armitage viii). Hutcheon describes the adaptation of a written text into a stage adaptation as a shift from the telling to the showing mode. Hutcheon states that [i]n reading, we gather details of narrative, character, context and the like gradually and sequentially; in seeing a film or play or musical, we perceive multiple objects, relations, and significant signs simultaneously (130). The need for visual stimuli is larger now than it was in the 14 th century. The modern society is surrounded by visual stimuli such as TV, film, photography, YouTube, and Instagram. This would be inconceivable for a medieval audience. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight lends itself well to be adapted into a play; it contains action and dialogue as well as well-rounded

9 9 characters. The length of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is also suitable to be adapted to a play, it is not too short and not too long. Hutcheon states that a novel often contains so much information that the adapter will have to make cuts in the story when adapting it to stage or screen (39). This was not necessary when adapting Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Adapting the poem to screen would also have been a possibility, however the camera limits what we see, eliminating the action on the periphery that might have caught our attention when watching a play on stage (Hutcheon 43). Furthermore, according to Peter Brook, as quoted in Hutcheon, the way in which the audience becomes involved is more powerful in the theatre than it is in the cinema (131). Lady Gwen and the Green Man has a modernised setting compared to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The 14 th century court in the original became a 21 st century office in the adaptation. The reason for modernising the setting of the adaptation is partly due to the audience. The audience will consist of two groups of people: those who are familiar with the original and those who are not. By changing the setting to the 21 st century, the play becomes more accessible for the audience who is unfamiliar with the original, while providing a refreshing take on the original for the audience who is familiar with the Middle English poem. Hutcheon calls this the knowing and the unknowing audience. An adaptation can only be successful if both the knowing audience and the unknowing audience can enjoy it (Hutcheon 121), even though both sorts of audiences have different expectations and demands (Hutcheon 124). Hutcheon also states that time and place shifts should bring about alterations in cultural associations (145). The choice of an office setting provides a similar hierarchical environment as the original setting does in the poem; there is someone in power who is challenged and his employees or knights are loyal to him and help him. However, the cultural etiquette has changed in seven centuries and this has been adapted in the modern setting in the adaptation as well. The 14 th century court brings a courteous hierarchy with a specific set of

10 10 rules of, for instance, hospitality. For instance, when Sir Gawain first arrives at Sir Bertelak s castle, he is offered shelter before they even learn his name, in line with courtly chivalric convention. He is welcomed by a group who had gathered to greet the stranger (Armitage 42) and helped when he takes off his helmet many hasty hands / reached out to receive it and to serve this stranger (Armitage 42). Once he makes himself known the proud fellows pressed forwards to confer their respects (Armitage 42). When Gawain meets Sir Bertelak for the first time he does so with all due honour,/ saying, Behave in my house as your heart pleases. / To whatever you want you are welcome, do what you will (Armitage 42). Likewise Arthur cannot refuse the Green Knight access to his castle, for fear of insulting him. In Lady Gwen and the Green Man the hospitality of Arthur and Sir Bertelak are less evident. Arthur is not pleased with the arrival of the Green Man, however he does not ask him to leave (Kronenberg 4). Likewise, when Gwen first arrives at Morgana Industries she is not welcomed by Sir Bertelak; Gawain even tells her he has been hired via and has not met anyone at the company yet (Kronenberg 8). This is in line with the depersonalised individualised modern world and it shows great contrast with the original. However, when she first arrives she makes friends with Sat and Angel; Sat is very friendly to her and Angel welcomes her to the company (Kronenberg 10). The interactions between Gwen and Sat and Angel, but also between Gwen and Liz and Dan, help to create the sense of a modern work place environment.

11 11 Chapter 2 Characters The adaptation Lady Gwen and the Green Man has a cast of nine characters: Narrator/Arthur, Gwen, Gawain, Sir Bertelak/Green Knight, Lady Bertelak, Sat, Angel, Dan and Liz. The poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has the knights of the Round Table, Gawain, Arthur, Guinevere, Sir Bertelak of Hautdesert/Green Knight, Lady Bertelak and Morgan le Faye. In this chapter I will justify why I decided to cut some characters and add others. Linda Hutcheon does not focus on character particularly, however the chapters What? (Forms) and Who? Why? (Adapters) provide a background into the decision-making process of adaptation and can be applied to explain the choices that were made for changes in character. First off, some of the characters from the original have been cut and some have been added to the adaptation. The characters that have been cut are Guinevere, the knights of the Round Table and Morgan le Faye. Guinevere has not been adapted as a character in Lady Gwen and the Green Man. Her part in the overall storyline is rather small and she is mainly mentioned in Sir Gawain and the Green Man when compared to the other women in the poem. For instance, when Lady Bertelak is first introduced, it is stated that she is fairer than Guinevere, even though Guinevere is the fairest maiden of them all (Armitage 46). In the poem Guinevere s beauty is part of the reputation of Arthur s court and her beauty knows no compare, however because of the modernised setting and the move from the telling to the showing mode inherent in a stage production her character became less important. The name of Arthur s company is Round Table Incorporated, a direct reference to the Round Table in Arthurian legend. This way the employees at his company are still part of the Round Table. The rival company is called Morgana Industries. At the end of the poem it is made clear that the entire plot was Morgana s attempt to destroy Arthur s court and reputation. Morgana is not personified in the play, however she is still present as the company

12 12 Sir Bertelak works for. Morgana is the company which causes Sir Bertelak to take on the role of the Green Man and thus take over other companies. Morgana still has the same function in the adaptation as she does in the original. She is in the background planning the destruction of Arthur s Round Table. She is the reason the Green Man visits Arthur, and Morgana, the company, benefits if the Green Man succeeds. The Narrator is the first character the audience encounters. He brings structure to the play. He introduces the setting and the main character, Gwen. Furthermore, he announces the intermission and he brings closure to the epilogue. The Narrator is needed in order to explain the modern setting of the adaptation. The Narrator opens his monologue with the exact same words as Armitage opens his translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This was done to honour the original and to establish a direct link to the adaptation, after the first lines he fast forwards to the 21 st century and explains the change in setting. The Narrator becomes Arthur after the introduction. By transitioning on stage the narrator guides the audience into the story. Arthur s character in Lady Gwen and the Green Man is similar to Arthur in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He is a man in a position of power: in the poem he is the king, in the adaptation he is the CEO of Round Table Inc. The biggest change in character is that while King Arthur s court thrives, as CEO Arthur s company is not doing well and he has to sell it. This change was necessary to give the Green Knight a reason to march in and propose the challenge. This will be further explained in the third chapter of this thesis. Gwen is the main character in Lady Gwen and the Green Man; she is the adaptation of the character of Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. She is young and wants to prove herself to the world and to her uncle. She wants to prove she is worth something in her own right and not just because she is Arthur s niece. Her attitude parallels that of Sir Gawain who states: I am weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit;/ loss of my life would be grieve the least/ Were I not your nephew my life would mean nothing;/ to be born of your

13 13 blood is my body s only claim (Armitage 20). The biggest adaptation of Gawain s character is his gender; in the poem he is male, while in the adaptation Gwen is female. When the poem was written, in the 14 th century, it would have been unthinkable to have a female knight (Machann 201): this warrior role was solely meant for men. Such gender inequality is less marked in the 21th century. Gwen is an intern in Lady Gwen and the Green Man, hoping she will prove herself during her internship and receive an offer for a permanent job at Round Table Inc., similar to Gawain who just became a knight at the Round Table and still has to prove he is more than just Arthur s nephew. Their character is the same even though their gender is different. According to Sharon Rowley the Green Knight and the Lady test Gawain s ability to inhabit his identity fully, that is, to be the seamlessly perfect knight his pentangle and reputation claim him to be (158). The importance of personal integrity has been retained in the adaptation. The Green Knight and Lady Bertelak test whether or not Gwen is worthy, not as a knight, but worthy according to the current social standards. These social standards are similar to the values of knightly conduct and are still relevant today. The values that are focused on in Lady Gwen and the Green Knight are honesty and loyalty. When Gwen decides to spy at Morgana Industries to find the Green Man she needs a cover so the Green Man will not recognise her. To retain the tension between Lady Bertelak and Gawain in the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight she had to change into a man. This way the homo-eroticism between Sir Bertelak and Gawain which is evident in the poem also remains intact in a humorous way. According to Carolyn Dinshaw the poem both produces the possibility of homosexual relations and renders them unintelligible (206). By having Gwen disguise as a man this element remains in the adaptation. To avoid confusion Gawain was introduced as a character in the play and Gwen disguises herself on stage. Sir Bertelak in Lady Gwen and the Green Man, who is also the Green Man, is the CEO of a rival company, Morgana Industries. Sir Bertelak has a nervous high voice and is

14 14 insecure. His alter ego of the Green Man has a roaring low voice and is very self-assured. The main reason why Sir Bertelak is insecure is because of his wife, Lady Bertelak, who he believes is out of his league. Sir Bertelak s character in Lady Gwen and the Green Man is different from his character in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight where he is a jovial and kind host. This change was mainly made for comedic purposes. The Green Knight has become the Green Man due to the lack of knights in a modern office. The Green Man portrays a fantasy element in an essentially realistic setting; his presence appeals to the audience s desire for flights of fancy. It suits the comedy and adds a medieval fantasy flavour to the adaptation. He is a powerful and confident man who taunts Arthur and challenges him and his reputation. Lady Bertelak in the adaptation is similar to the Lady Bertelak in the poem, however her part in the narrative has expanded. In the poem the reader only meets her during the seduction scenes as a clever and beautiful young woman. In the adaptation the audience also sees more of her relationship with Sir Bertelak and she is present when Gwen and Sir Bertelak meet at the end of each day. In the poem Lady Bertelak seduces Gawain as part of Morgan s plan to destroy Arthur s reputation; in the adaptation Lady Bertelak tries to seduce Gwen because she wants to know if Gwen is at Morgana Industries as Arthur s spy, however Lady Bertelak also needs some space from her husband and she finds a soulmate in Gwen. Sat and Angel are not in the original poem. They were added to display Gwen s conscience. According to Hutcheon, [i]n the move from telling to showing, a performance adaptation must dramatize: description, narration, and represented thoughts must be transcoded into speech, actions, sounds, and visual images (40). In the poem, in story telling mode, Gawain s internal struggles are written down. This is not possible in a stage adaptation, except when you work with a narrator who interjects to elaborate on these struggles. However, this might cause the audience to lose focus when a narrator constantly interrupts the story. Therefore the decision was made to characterise Gawain s conscience as part of the

15 15 play. Sat is the angel on one of Gwen s shoulders and Angel is the devil on the other shoulder. The name swap took place for comedic effect and to slightly confuse the audience. Sat and Angel work at Morgana Industries as well and they help Gwen in her quest to uncover the Green Man s identity. They were giving their own story line to create more rounded characters. Gwen s struggles with loyalty and honesty, which parallel Gawain s struggles in the original poem, are portrayed through the discussions between Sat and Angel. For instance, when Gwen has received the first kiss from Lady Bertelak she discusses with Sat and Angel whether or not she must kiss Sir Bertelak in agreement with their deal. Angel tells her not to do it and Sat tells her the truth will always come out in the end. She hesitates until the last moment and finally agrees with Sat (Kronenberg 33). During the play Sat and Angel learn from each other and in the end of the play their characters have developed and became more balanced and less polarised. Liz and Dan are two employees at Morgana Industries. They are in no way related to the original poem and are introduced to create a modern workforce which is needed in the office setting. The office staff is equivalent to Arthur s court with similar tensions and rivalries between the employees as existed among the knights. Furthermore, Liz and Dan anger Sir Bertelak which cause him to lose his high voice and show his true green colours.

16 16 Chapter 3 Adapting the plot This chapter explores the changes that were introduced in the adaptation of four important narrative moments in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. These four narrative moments are the challenge at the beginning of the poem from the Green Knight to the knights of the Round Table, the agreement between Gawain and Sir Bertelak, the seduction scenes between Gawain and Lady Bertelak and the ending, when Gawain meets the Green Knight for the second time and returns to Camelot. This chapter will explain the choices made while adapting these scenes to a modern setting using Hutcheon s chapter How? (Audiences). In this chapter Hutcheon explains how audiences influence adaptation decisions. Once again she emphasizes the distinction between a knowing audience and an unknowing audience. Hutcheon describes the knowing audience as savvy and street-smart as well as knowledgeable (120). The unknowing audience will experience the adaptation as they would any other work for they are not familiar with the original. Hutcheon states that to experience [an adaptation] as an adaptation we need to recognize it as such and to know its adapted text, thus allowing the latter to oscillate in our memories with what we are experiencing (121). According to Hutcheon danger of adaptation is when the adapter relies to much on the knowing audience and the unknowing audience will no longer understand what they are experiencing. Therefore an adaptation is not successful until both the knowing and the unknowing audience understand it in its own right.

17 Challenge In the original poem the Green Knight challenges Sir Gawain to a beheading game. Gawain gets to cut the Green Knight s head off and in exchange the Green Knight can do the same to Gawain in a year s time. Since cutting someone s head off does not suit the modern setting in the adaptation, the challenge was changed considerably. It has become a quest to discover the identity of the Green Man with Arthur s company, the Round Table, at stake. At the beginning of the play the audience is told Arthur s company is not doing well and he has to sell it. The Green Man crashes Arthur s party and proposes a challenge, he will save Arthur s company if Arthur can discover his identity in a week s time. If Arthur fails, the company will become the Green Man s. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the identity of the Green Knight is a mystery as well; this aspect was expanded in the adaptation to become the focus of the challenge. According to Hutcheon a knowing audience has expectations and demands (122), the knowing audience might be disappointed that the beheading element was omitted from the adaptation or they will understand the decision to change the challenge. The unknowing audience will accept the challenge as it is. In the poem a year passes in which Gawain searches for the Green Chapel and the last days before meeting the Green Knight he stays at Sir Bertelak s castle. In the stage adaptation a year would have been too long to suit the modern setting and type of challenge, therefore the timeframe was shortened to a week in Lady Gwen and the Green Man. The motive for the challenge has been retained: Arthur will lose his life s work and his reputation if he fails the challenge. According to Hutcheon [t]he appeal of adaptations for audiences lies in their mixture of repetition and difference, of familiarity and novelty (114). By retaining the central idea of the challenge and the quest while changing the form this mixture of the familiar and the new is achieved.

18 Exchange In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, when Gawain arrives at the castle of Sir Bertelak, they make an agreement. While Gawain stays in the castle, Sir Bertelak will go out hunting and at the end of the day they meet and exchange what they found during the day. Gawain agrees to this for he find[s] it pleasing that you (Sir Bertelak) favour such fun (Armitage 53). Similar to the challenge, the essence of this exchange has been retained, however the form has changed in the adaptation due to the changes in setting. Gwen gets in trouble on her first day by unknowingly spreading a rumour about Sir and Lady Bertelak. Her boss, Sir Bertelak, is not amused and as punishment Gwen and her two new friends, Angel and Sat, have to spy for him in his own company for the next three days. In exchange she will not be fired from the company. At the end of each day they have to report what they discover during that day. Both the unknowing and the knowing audience will understand the terms of this exchange. However the knowing audience will realise the exchange is less equal than in the original. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Gawain receives something from Sir Bertelak at the end of the day as well. However in Lady Gwen and the Green Man, Gwen, Sat and Angel have to spy for Sir Bertelak in exchange for not being fired. The exchange became less equal because of this, however it provides the opportunity to test Gwen s loyalty and honesty. Gwen cannot be fired because she needs to be at Morgana Industries to prove her loyalty to her uncle Arthur and find the Green Man. Hopefully the knowing audience will realise this.

19 Seduction scenes In the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Gawain is visited each morning by Lady Bertelak. She enters his room and tries to seduce him, Gawain is conflicted between his chivalrous nature, which does not allow him to send her from his room, and his duty to his lord on the other hand, which does not allow him to respond to her advances. Therefore he merely kisses her. This happens three times. The third time she offers him a golden ring, he knows he cannot accept this gift. When he refuses the ring she offers him her girdle instead. The girdle will protect him against magic and with the second part of the beheading game looming he accepts the gift. In the adaptation Lady Gwen and the Green Man Lady Bertelak seduces Gwen, thinking Gwen is a man. Gwen is conflicted between her loyalty to her uncle, the fact that she does not want to get fired if she insults Lady Bertelak by sending her away, and her secret concerning her gender which would get her fired as well. Like Gawain, Gwen has to balance this conflict of duty and ends up kissing Lady Bertelak three times. During the last day Lady Bertelak offers Gwen the green scarf she is wearing as a gift to remember her by. This is the same scarf the Green Man wore during his first meeting with Gwen. This clue is what helps Gwen to solve the quest and win the challenge. These scenes and the behaviour of the characters will be most familiar to the knowing audience and they might understand the context of these scenes better than the unknowing audience. Because of this Lady Bertelak explains her reasoning in the second seduction scene as bringing a spark and some space to her relationship with Sir Bertelak.

20 Ending The original ending of Sir Gawain and the Green Man is ambiguous. It is unclear who wins the challenge. After Sir Bertelak explains the plot to Gawain, Gawain feels shamed and feels like he has lost the challenge: As I feared, I am found to be flawed and false, / through treachery and untruth I have totally failed (Armitage 108). To which Lord Bertelak replies: By confessing tour failings you are free from fault (Armitage 109). However, the Green Knight (and thus Morgana) does not win either, for Arthur s reputation is still intact. Furthermore when Gawain returns to court they respond to his story by congratulating Gawain on his adventure and wearing green sashes in honour of his adventure. Therefore it can be claimed that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has a happy ending. The ending in Lady Gwen and the Green Man is a more unambiguously happy ending. Gwen and Arthur clearly win the challenge at the last moment and do not lose the company, the Round Table. The narrator then walks on stage and tells the audience how and where every character ends up. All the characters will have a green item added to their costume to make a direct link with the Knights of the Round Table. The unknowing audience will think it an interesting detail even though they will not understand the idea behind it. The knowing audience will understand the link to the original.

21 21 Conclusion While adapting Sir Gawain and the Green Knight into Lady Gwen and the Green Man the aim was to make it an understandable and enjoyable play for both the knowing and the unknowing audience as described by Hutcheon. The setting has been changed from a medieval court setting to a modern office setting and the medium has changed from a poem to a play. Due to these changes some elements had to be added to the plot, such as the characters of Sat and Angel, whereas other elements were cut or changed drastically, such as the beheading game. The overall message of the plot remained the same in that it teaches the audience the importance of loyalty and honesty. It shows both the knowing and the unknowing audience that the story of Sir Gawain is a universal one to which everyone can relate.

22 22 Appendix I Summary of original It is New Year at King Arthur s court and King Arthur is bored. He does not want to eat until something marvellous happens. This is the moment a mysterious Green Knight rides in and he challenges Arthur and his court to play a Christmas game with him: someone gets to strike him once with his axe, the catch is that the Green Knight may return the blow in a year and a day. Arthur prepares to accept the challenge since none of his knights dare, but Sir Gawain stands up and wants to take the challenge instead. He is Arthur nephew and feels he has to prove he deserves the honour of knighthood. The other knights agree that Sir Gawain should take the challenge and he swoops the Green Knight s head of in one swift blow. Unfortunately, the Green Knight won t die, he takes his severed head and remounts on his horse. The severed head speaks to the court and reminds them and Gawain of the deal they made and that he wants to see him again in a year at the Green Chapel. Gawain sets out to find the Green Chapel and as the year has almost passed he arrives at the castle of Sir Bertilak and his wife. Gawain tells them of his quest and they assure him the Green Chapel is close and that he can stay in the castle until the day of the challenge has arrived. The next day Sir Bertilak is going hunting, but before he leaves he proposes a bargain to Gawain: he will give Gawain whatever he catches on the condition that Gawain give him whatever he might gain during the day. Gawain accepts this deal, however, after Sir Bertilak leaves, his wife Lady Bertilak visits Gawain s bedroom to seduce him. Gawain is torn between not wanting to offend Lady Bertilak and not wanting to betray his religion and his love for Mary, Christ s mother. Lady Bertilak ends up giving him one kiss. At the end of the day he receives a deer from Sir Bertilak and in return gives him the kiss without telling who he got it from. The second day repeats the first as does the third. However on the third day Lady Bertilak not only offers Gawain a kiss, but also a golden ring, which Gawain refuses.

23 23 She then asks him to at least accept her Green Girdle, which will keep him from harm and Gawain, afraid for the challenge which will take place the next day, accepts. In the evening when the exchange with Sir Bertilak takes place he does not offer him de girdle, thus breaking the bargain. The next day Sir Gawain goes to the Green Chapel and finds the Green Knight. The Green Knight reminds him of the challenge and Gawain holds out his neck, but just before the Green Knight strikes, Gawain flinches and the Green Knight scolds him for being a coward. Gawain promises he may strike again and that this time he will not flinch. The Green Knight prepares to strike, but he stops just before he hits, Gawain does not flinch and the Green Knight explains he was testing him. Gawain scolds the Green Knight and asks for a proper blow this time. The Green Knight agrees and lets the axe come down, grazing Gawain s neck, leaving only a slight wound. The game is over and the Green Knight reveals himself as being Sir Bertilak, he explains this challenge was invented by Morgana to bring shame upon Arthur s court. Sir Gawain returns to the court wearing the girdle as a token of his shame and failure to keep his promise, but the knights forgive him and will from that moment onwards all wear a green sash in recognition of Gawain s challenge.

24 24 Appendix II Summary of adaptation Sir Gawain has become Lady Gwen and Arthur is no longer king but the CEO of Round Table Inc., Gwen works there as an intern and is Arthur's niece. Unfortunately the company is not doing very well and has to be sold. When Arthur tells his employees the sad news the event is rudely interrupted by a mysterious Green Man. This Green Man proposes a bet with the company as the reward. Arthur has a year to identify the Green Man and Gwen (who wants to prove herself to her uncle) wants to help with this. Gwen and Arthur find out the Green Man has done this before and the company ended up at Morgana Industries. One of Gwen's best friends is going to start there as an intern soon, his name is Gawain. Gwen decides to take his place instead, but this means she will have to dress up as a guy. Upon arriving at Morgana Industries she meets the other two interns, Sat and Angel, they will be Gwen's conscience during the play and they will help her during her search into the identity of the Green Knight. The CEO of Morgana Industries is Sir B (Sir Bertelak/Green Knight). Sir B's wife (Lady Bertelak) is a seductress who takes a fancy to Gwen. When Gwen has just started working she becomes involved in a rumour about Sir and Lady B and she is called to a meeting with Sir B. She will have to prove herself to him and prove her loyalty to the company. They agree that Gwen, Sat and Angel will have to report all she has hears, sees and receives to Sir B for the next three days. The next three days are a mixture of fights between Sat and Angel, the uncovering of rumours from Dan and Liz (the biggest gossips in the office) and shows Sir B s dark side while interacting with Dan and Liz. During these three days Lady B seduces Gwen and gives her kisses; one on the first day, two on the second and three on the third. Gwen, as part of the agreement, gives these kisses to Sir B at the end of the day. On the third day Gwen also receives a scarf from Lady B, but she does not give this scarf to Sir B.

25 25 At the end of the three days she meets with the Green Man again and he gives her three chances to tell her who he is. The first time she does not answer, the second time she gives a vague insecure answer, the third time she solves the puzzle because she sees the relation between the scarf she is wearing and the Green Man. Thus she wins the challenge and wins the company back. The Green Man tells her to keep the scarf as a reminder of her spying and lying.

26 26 Appendix III LADY AND THE GREEN MAN an adaption of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Written by: Fleur Kronenberg With special thanks to Erik van Dijk and Erik de Vries Lentsch for their suggestions and advice.

27 27 Cast Arthur / Narrator Gwen Sir Bertelak / Green Man Lady Bertelak Sat Angel Gawain Dan Liz Setting Modern office building: Round Table Inc. Gawain s house Office Morgana Ind. Coffee Corner Morgana Ind.

28 28 ACT 1 SCENE 1 NARRATOR [SLOWLY] Once the siege and assault of Troy had ceased; with the city a smoke-heap of cinders and ash; there once was a king and his name was Arthur. He had a great kingdom and a Round Table of knights. [NORMAL SPEED] This was all back in the 14 th century. So we re going to fast-forward a little bit. It is now the 21 st century. We re no longer at court but in an office the offices of Round Table Incorporated, a small media company. Arthur, once a king, is now the CEO. But his company isn t doing very well. It s near bankruptcy, and Arthur has only one option left: sell the company he founded exactly fifteen years ago to the highest bidder. He is about to deliver the bad news to his loyal knights, his employees. Among these hard workers is one whose opinion he values most: his niece, Gwen. [ waves shyly] She has just started her internship at Arthur s failing company. And now someone is about to make Arthur an offer he cannot refuse. [NARRATOR takes off his top hat and so becomes ARTHUR. He addresses the audiences as if they are the employees] ARTHUR Dear employees, dear friends. I m glad you re all here. The human resources department, the pie chart department, the water cooler department, the synergy department, the coffee department. Welcome to our fifteen-year jubilee party. This should be a happy occasion, but it is with a heavy heart I stand before you. You make our company what it is today. We built it up from nothing. Unfortunately, we aren t doing well. In fact, we re doing very badly. I ll be honest with you. I have but one option left: I have to sell Round Table Incorporated. I know you will have many questions, but I don t have all the answers yet. All I can say is that I m sorry. Thank you. [ARTHUR walks to ] ARTHUR Gwen, welcome to the company. Or what s left of it. I didn t expect that on my first day of work. ARTHUR I m sorry. It all happened so quickly. I hope you ll still enjoy your time here. Even though I don t know how long that will be. I looked forward to this internship for years. I really wanted to work with my favourite uncle.

29 29 ARTHUR And I with my favourite niece. What will happen when you sell the company? ARTHUR With the market as it is now, it ll up for grabs for any giant faceless corporation out there. I ll be fired, most likely. And then they ll destroy all the heart I put into this company for fifteen years. That s horrible! ARTHUR Yes. [sobbing increasingly] The people from human resources will have to do the synergy work. The people from the water cooler department will have to make coffee. And the people from the pie charts... they ll have to make line charts instead. Poor uncle. I wish I could help you. [Light effects and music. THE GREEN MAN enters] GREENMAN Well, well, well. Having a little party, Arthur? I didn t think there was any cause for celebration. ARTHUR Who are you? GREENMAN And I didn t think you had any money for celebration, either. ARTHUR Who are you and what are you doing here? GREENMAN Hahahaha! I m here to help you. ARTHUR I don t need anyone s help. GREENMAN That s not what you just said in that heart-breaking little speech of yours. I have to sell the company, boo-hoo-hoo. ARTHUR Let me clarify. I don t need your help. I don t want your help. Are you sure? Maybe we should see what he has to offer. ARTHUR

30 30 He s got bullshit to offer. This is not how business is done. GREENMAN Now, now, Arthur. Listen to the young lady. She s absolutely right. You should hear what I have to say before you judge me like that. ARTHUR Out with it, then! You re wasting my time and spoiling my evening. GREENMAN Listen carefully. I propose a challenge. It s very simple. I want to have Round Table Incorporated, but I don t want to buy it. That s boring. I want to win it fair and square. ARTHUR What s the challenge? GREENMAN I will give you one week to find out who I am. ARTHUR You must be barking mad if you think... What will happen to the company? GREENMAN I ll use my funds to keep it afloat for a week. If I win, it will come into my possession, and I ll do what I want with it. Maybe I ll have the pie chart department make line charts. If you win, however, I will pay off all your debts and the company is yours to keep. Then we accept! ARTHUR What? Gwen, no! Didn t you hear what he said? ARTHUR There s always a catch. What could possibly go wrong? GREENMAN M lady, do we have a deal? M mister, we do. [they shake hands] One week to uncover your identity and win back my uncle s company. GREENMAN

31 31 Then I will see you in one week s time. [Laughs and walks off to the right. Then turns around.] Wrong way. [Laughs and walks off to the left. Exit.] ARTHUR What have you done? What do you mean, what have I done? I saved your company, you silly. ARTHUR No, it just isn t right. A week is awfully short. And there must be a catch to this. A week is plenty of time. I m sure we ll succeed! [ARTHUR sighs] Let s start on Google. [Takes out cell phone] What if I search for company + green...? The Grass Company, that s not right... Company + green + bankrupt? Let s give that a try. ARTHUR Google isn t going to solve our problems. I don t think this kind of thing happens very often. You never know. Ah, I found something. There s a blog post from someone who worked at Penwin & Co. [increasingly excited] Apparently, the same thing happened to them. The company was about to go under and a green man walked in an proposed the same challenge and... [suddenly disappointed] oh, they lost the company. ARTHUR See? This was a bad idea. No, we re smarter than Penwin & Co. I mean, they sell medieval poems and novels. Who likes that stuff? No one. ARTHUR Penwin rings a bell. Could you google what happened to the company after they lost? They ended up at Morgana Industries. ARTHUR Morgana Industries? That s interesting. They re a media company, like us, but they re one of those giant, faceless conglomerates. Wait! I have a brilliant idea!

32 32 ARTHUR [sarcastic] Another one? Do you remember my friend from high school, Gawain? I saw on his Facebook that he was starting an internship there. I could go in his place! ARTHUR What? He owes me a big favour. I can take his place and snoop around at Morgana. It s perfect. ARTHUR It s crazy. Crazy enough to work. [blackout]

33 33 ACT 2 SCENE 2 [GAWAIN s home. GAWAIN is reading when knocks on the door] Gawain! Oh my god! It s been so long! GAWAIN Gwen! Always great to see my old buddy! What s up? Well... I need your help. I ve got a problem. A big one. GAWAIN What s wrong? It s complicated. [muttering words] GAWAIN What? This may sound weird, but I kinda need your job? GAWAIN You... You need my what now? Your job. Your internship at Morgana Industries. I read on Facebook that you got an internship there and I need to take your place. GAWAIN What the hell are you talking about? You can t just come here and ask for my job! I worked really hard to get that internship. It s going to be the start of my career. Listen. My uncle s company, Round Table Incorporated, is in trouble, and I need to be at Morgana to fix it. GAWAIN It s a lot to ask of me, Gwen. I know. But remember you little incident a few years ago? GAWAIN [anxious] I don t know what you re talking about. Really? You don t remember the vodka? Or the taxi driver? Or the lama? GAWAIN That was a long time ago.

34 34 Yes, but you still owe me for it. And you can get another internship. If I pull this off, I m sure there will be a position available at Round Table Incorporated, the greatest company in the world, run by the greatest uncle in the world. GAWAIN If you pull this off... Please? It s really important to me! GAWAIN I don t know. How would you go about taking my place? Have you met anyone at Morgana yet? GAWAIN No, it was all arranged by . That s what I hoped for. It means they don t know what you look like. GAWAIN But they know the rest! They know my name, my resume. And they know I m a dude! The name and resume shouldn t be a problem. As for being a dude, I think I ll be able to use my acting skills. Remember the school play? I was a very convincing tree. You ll have to help me, though. GAWAIN You want me to make a man out of you? Yes! Ow, it s going to be so cute. GAWAIN If you re going to act like a dude, you ll have to stop saying that kind of thing. Dudes don t think stuff is cute, they think shit is dope. And you can t stand like that with your hip all popped out. [excited] Does this mean you re going to do this? GAWAIN There s no stopping you. Yes, I ll help you. Yay! GAWAIN